US President Donald Trump's forceful backing of ally Israel has put the ceasefire under strain, and particularly his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and remove its Palestinian inhabitants.

Militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took power in Damascus in December, toppling the government of Bashar Assad

After the ceasefire came into force, Trump touted a plan to "clean out" the Gaza Strip, reiterating the idea on Monday as he called for Palestinians to move to "safer" locations such as Egypt or Jordan.

Israel had been preventing vast crowds of Palestinians from using a coastal road to return to northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the truce agreement by failing to release civilian women hostages.

Members of the crowd climbed atop the lead bus and unfurled a Hamas flag, the journalists reported.

As the ceasefire took effect on Sunday morning, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal's final details were still being worked on, but he thanked Biden for "promoting" it. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said it was the result of Palestinian "resilience".

Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US as well as Israel and Hamas said an agreement for a truce in the besieged enclave and release of hostages was closer than ever.

Militant group Hamas condemned the decision to ban the network.

The World Health Organization said the operation had put the "last major health facility in north Gaza out of service".

Netanyahu is facing three cases where he is alleged to have used relationships with rich, powerful men for personal and political gain, including to influence media outlets they owned or controlled.

Lamenting poor global response, Tanya Haj-Hassan says: 'We spent last 14 months watching the most live-streamed and documented genocide in history'